Cross Country Qualifies for National Championships
11/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Complete list of qualifiers
SPOKANE, Wash. -- The Gonzaga women's cross country team and Matthew Crichlow of the GU men's team have qualified for the 2015 NCAA Div. I National Championships.
It marks the first time a Bulldog women's team has ever made the NCAA Cross Country Championships, while Crichlow becomes the first Gonzaga men's qualifier.
"We had to wait it out again," GU women's Head Coach Patty Ley said. "That kick Amelia Evans had at Regionals just got bigger! We know we got a second chance and we don't intend to waste it!"
The Gonzaga women placed sixth at the NCAA West Regionals in Seattle Friday. They entered the race fifth in the region and 30th in the country, both program highs. The 2015 West Coast Conference champions were paced by a seventh-place finish by Shelby Mills.
"We're super stoked and so excited," Mills said. "We get to compete against the best of them, representing in the Zag jersey. We've come a long way but in the words of Patty (Ley) `We ain't done yet'!"
In order to be eligible to participate in the championships, teams and individuals qualified in their respective NCAA regional competitions. The top two, seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of the nine regions, for a total of 18 teams. Thirteen additional teams were selected at-large. Gonzaga joins Mississippi State and Utah as first-timers in the 31-team field.
"Simply wow," Director of GU Cross Country and Track Pat Tyson said. "Our first-ever cross country team to the NCAA's, and Crichlow our first-ever men's harrier at the NCAA's, this is so great for GUXC nation! I am on fire right now!"
Also Friday at regionals, Crichlow's 18th place finish was the best for the Zags in the past 20 years. The redshirt senior crossed the line at 31:30.3. His time is the 12th-fastest in program history on a 10,000-meter course.
"Today has been surreal," Crichlow said. "There's no doubt in my mind we have the best coaches in America, and this program is going places. I'm so incredibly proud of both the men's and women's team and we still have work to do in Louisville!"
The University of Louisville will host the championships, Saturday, Nov. 21, at Tom Sawyer State Park located in Louisville, Ky. The women's race will begin at 9 a.m. Pacific Time, followed by the men's race at approximately 10 a.m. Pacific Time. A live webcast of the championships will be broadcast from 9 a.m. Pacific Time until the conclusion of the awards ceremony on NCAA.com.
